The AAII Phoenix Chapter presents...

"Financial Literacy and the Rich-Poor Gap"

Discussed by:

Russ WilesPersonal Finance Writer, Arizona Republic and azcentral.com

It’s common knowledge that financial literacy is low and possibly declining in this country. Financial literacy includes not only an understanding of interest rates, inflation, the stock and bond markets and general economic concepts, but also identity theft, credit scoring and broader money topics. Most Americans don’t receive formal training in financial concepts. At the same time, there’s a lot more to learn and understand than in decades past: everything from retirement plans to mortgages to new investment vehicles. Many people haven’t yet shown that they’re up to the challenge, including technologically savvy young adults. Low levels of financial literacy explain part of the wealth gap, as more affluent and literate individuals are better positioned to capitalize on trends in the financial markets, including the recent rebounds for stocks and real estate.

Attend This Meeting and Learn...

How to understand credit issues and ID-theft dangers, including online risks

Personal Finance and Retirement Income Planning SIG, Saturday, April 8, 2014, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (after the chapter meeting). Contact: Dr. Joyce Morningstar, jmorningstar@dynamicwealthadvisors.com. Same date and location as chapter meeting. Cost: None. Due to greater uncertainties, financial planning after retirement becomes more challenging. One of the major challenges retirees face is overcoming the cognitive errors that lead to irrational decisions and behavior harmful to someone’s long-term financial health. In addition to our focus on financial planning and sensible investing to produce retirement income, this season will include a series on ways to overcome common investor biases to make better financial decisions. In financial planning, one size does not fit all, so there’s no “silver bullet” for investing. Our group welcomes different viewpoints and participation from both experienced and new investors.

Options & Analysis SIG, Saturday, April 5, 2014, 1:16 to 3:30 p.m. (after the chapter meeting). Contact: Lowell Carty, lowell39@msn.com. Same date and location as chapter meeting. Cost: None. All AAII participants are invited to improve their wealth-building and management skills through the use of option instruments and analysis tools. You will benefit from a combination of tutorial presentations and active discussions. These range from use of options to generate monthly income to “hedging” for protection of your stocks and portfolios. Participant depth ranges from initial learning to active traders. You are welcome to join our quest to combat the unprecedented market changes and uncertainties. We work closely with the Stocks and ETFs SIG. This includes rotating the meeting start time and sharing facilities.

Health Care Reform and Medicare SIG, Saturday, April 5, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (after the chapter meeting in October, December, February and April). Contact: Allan Zee, allanzee@argeusgroup.com. Same date and location as chapter meeting. Cost: None. Major changes are happening in health care. All citizens and legal residents must purchase government-approved health insurance or pay a penalty/tax, and 30+ million newly eligible people will begin to enter the health care system. We’ll discuss the new mandates, the effect on premiums, enforcement of the Affordable Care Act, availability of doctors and medical professionals and much more. Hear the latest updates and changes.

Stocks and ETFs SIG, Saturday, April 5, 2014, 1:16 to 3:30 p.m. (after the chapter meeting). Contact: Beatrice Kenney, beakenney@yahoo.com, 480/406-8942. Same date and location as chapter meeting. Cost: None. The goal of this SIG is to create smarter, better-informed, successful traders and investors through experiences with high-quality stock trading information. Independent traders and successful investors will present their methods and strategies of trading. Charting tools and tactics will help traders and investors profit from investments and trades. Investor psychology, portfolio strategies and handling potential losses are some of the subjects covered. Opportunities to listen and learn, take an active role in the group or make a presentation are available. We share meeting time and location with the Options & Analysis SIG.

Vector Vest SIG, first Saturday of every month, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Contact: Eugene Almer, 602/300-4573. Location: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 3539 E. Stanford Dr., Paradise Valley, AZ 85253. Cost: None. This SIG focuses on the use of the VectorVest system for equity investing strategies and market timing. Most meetings include a discussion of the current market conditions and what to expect in the month ahead using VectorVest tools, several educational presentations by members describing their experiences with various parts of the VectorVest System, and discussions and analysis of selected investment strategies and/or equities of interest to the members.

Investment Protection SIG, 1:16 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contact: Richard Climie, rclimie@ieee.org, 602/774-2214. Date and location: TBD The Investment Protection (IP) SIG focuses on wealth protection in perilous times. Foreseeable market volatility, inflation and other factors promise significant wealth destruction for the uninformed. Improved skills and strategies can help protect your portfolio and increase your wealth. The IP SIG will complement the fundamental work of the Stocks & ETFs SIG and the Options & Analysis SIG. Each SIG uses meetings and the electronic form to teach new skills. We meet once a month. Call 602/774-2214 for more information.

Brunch Bunch SIG, third Wednesday of the month, May through September, 10 a.m. to noon. Optional lunch. Contact: Dr. Joyce Morningstar, jmorningstar@dynamicwealthadvisors.com. Location: Dynamic Wealth Advisors, 8655 E. Via de Ventura, STE G-200, Scottsdale, AZ 85258. Cost: None. Join us for lively discussions on current events in the financial world. We will learn from each other as we discuss different viewpoints, sharing our experience and knowledge. The conversation continues for those who wish to go to lunch afterward. We welcome different viewpoints and participation from both experienced and new investors.

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